Heirlooms: Little Mementos of Our Ancestors

I've been reading a book for my personal summer reading program called "Gratitude: Affirming One Another Through Stories." By Len Froyen. 2013. I was inspired to compile a list of heirlooms we have by a couple of sentences in a chapter: "Gratitude inspires one generations contributions to the next." and "Gratitude preserves the indispensable heritage of each generation."

Reminds me of my favorite Bible verse found in Proverbs 24:3,4 

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." 

Both of us have a wealth of cards, letters, newspaper clippings, photos and recipes that have been shared with us and they are scattered throughout this blog. Be sure to come back to see this list as it is sure to grow longer, for when we sat down to compile a list of our treasures, things that we had forgotten about kept coming to mind. Why just today, my husband dug down in a cabinet to retrieve something of his dad's! smile! 

Here are some of HIS heirlooms:

Ishmael Rush's Bolo Tie clasp he purchased while  on vacation to South Dakota. 

Ishmael Rush's Cuff Links. 

Marie Rush's Red Willow Plate. It hung in her farmhouse kitchen for years and she gave it to me when she learned I loved the novel "Blue Willow" by Doris Gates.  Both Marie and I shared a love of reading. 📚

Norman Rush's toy car. 

Norman Rush's candlestick that he made in high school shop class. It is dated 1950. 

Bertha Carrender's cookie jar. 

And here are some of HER heirlooms:

Tacy Ullom's graniteware cup. Tacy cooked in her husband's inn before and after marriage in Coffeyville, Kansas and in Streator, Illinois before moving out to Postle in the panhandle of Oklahoma to settle.

Gladys O'Neal's print of the Good Shepherd given to her by her Sunday School class. It is from a painting by Warner E. Sallman.

Gladys O'Neal also had a framed copy of this print which was hanging in one of her bedrooms. She gave it to our son. It is called "The Pilot." Also by Warner E. Sallman. 

Gladys Esther (White) O'Neal worked on her genealogy for 28 years, finally publishing it in 1983. Each one of her children and grandchildren received a copy. There are no more copies and Vera Lane holds the copyright. 

Gladys O'Neal had a little ceramic shop out in her garage. Many of the ceramic pieces was used in the wedding cakes she made for the young couples in the area and as VBS crafts. She took some china painting classes and this is one of the plates she painted. I always thought this plate was lovely, so it came to me upon her death as she had a little note taped to the back of the plate that I was to have it.  

Beautiful Girlhood by Mabel Hale.

Gladys O'Neal received this book for Christmas from her parents, Papa and Mama White when she was a girl. 

Russell Griffith's book "The Little Brown Suitcase" is at the bottom of this post. 

Maurine Ullom's Household Searchlight cookbook that she traded a chicken for.

Maurine Ullom's lamp. It was moved from Maurine and John's 2 story old farmhouse to their new ranch house that John had built in the 1960s on their Postle, Oklahoma farm.

Maurine Ullom's Dutch couple. 

Maurine Ullom's small crockery pitcher. She had a love for dolls and miniatures and she used it for toothpicks. 

We visited Hallie Maple at her 2-story home up in Stanberry, MO several times where she gave me all of her genealogy notes for the Bailey and Morris families and gave me this old doll. She made the dress herself as it was to grace her made bed as a bed doll.  According to the internet, classic boudoir dolls were meant for decoration rather than play and was popular during the 1920s to 1940s. 

Robert O'Neal's 2 year old summer suit he wore for a photo along with long hose that went up over his knees and high top, tie-on oxford shoes. Imagine wrestling a squirmy kid in and out of this outfit. 😁

Little Robert, when about two or three years old, played with these little dolls. As worn as the paint is on the female doll, I'd say his three siblings played with them too! 😄

Lavon Robertson purchased a pair of these lamps as a gift for her mother. They sat on the vanity in the guest bedroom for many years.

Melba Robertson gave Lavon this perfume bottle which sat on her dresser until Lavon's passing. 

Mom's repainted porch glider.

Article written and updated by : Dolores J. Rush.